Any Other Lover
by Doctor Strangelove
Summary: With Matt Parkman missing, Audrey Hanson visits his wife in an attempt to comfort her. Slash [AudreyJanice]


Audrey Hanson's fingers wrapped against the solid oak door. Sad as it may be, people went missing every single day. It wasn't a fair occurrence for someone, even a cop and especially a former cop, to just suddenly disappear. And it certainly wasn't Audrey's responsibility to go around and give every missing man's wife a pat on the back and phony promises of "There there." Hell, she already carried the weight of the world on her shoulders every single day; could anyone expect her to go out of her way to console a woman who in all likelihood was now a widow just because Audrey had a brief partnership with he husband? It was lunacy; Audrey was a very busy woman.

And yet, here she was, standing on a porch that belonged to a woman she'd never met. Realizing that she'd already knocked and therefore that it was too late to back out of this meeting, Audrey tried to think of what she was going to say. "I think you're husband's dead," was the only thing coming to mind, and somehow she didn't think Matt's wife would appreciate that sentiment.

Unfortunately for Audrey, she did not have the time to come up with a better greeting as the front door opened in front of her and she was left facing a small, dark-haired woman. Time being of the essence, and not having a chance to invent an appropriate welcoming, Audrey decided to improvise and decided upon, "Hi." _Well,_ she congratulated herself, _that's a start. _"Mrs. Parkman?"

The woman in front of Audrey didn't respond right away, giving the detective time to take in the woman's appearance. Her hair was pulled back into a ratted ponytail and her face was free of makeup, the calling cards of a woman with no one to impress, and one didn't need to be trained in surveying body language to know what the shining redness of her eyes revealed about what she had spent the last few weeks doing. Finally she spoke in a barely audible whisper, "Yes."

"I'm Audrey Hanson." She debated whether or not this situation called for a handshake, or if she were supposed to retain a more professional stance. Dangerous criminals and gruesome murders Audrey knew how to handle; social situations were another beast entirely. "I'm from the FBI. I… I worked with your husband a few times."

"Is he dead?"

Audrey was taken aback at the bluntness of the question, and for a brief moment found herself unable to respond. This was clearly a woman who did not shy away from uncomfortable subjects. "No. I mean, I don't know. He's missing."

"I'm aware of that Detective… was it Hanson?" Janice barked out a small humorless laugh. "It's funny, your husband disappears for over a month and you just begin to lose track of all sorts of things. Would you like to come in, Mrs. Hanson? Or is it Miss?"

"It's Detective." Audrey chided herself for her harsh tone and made a mental note not to beat around the bush with this woman anymore. "And yes, I'd like to come inside."

Janice moved away from the doorframe, allowing the blonde detective to enter her home. Janice mumbled something about fixing coffee and made a hasty retreat to the safety of the kitchen, giving Audrey plenty of opportunity to survey the sparse living room. It had a very impersonal feeling to it, as if everything in the room had been picked out and arranged from a picture in a magazine. Sitting down on a tasteful but not particularly couch, Audrey noticed a framed photo of Matt, fishing evidently, on the end table next to a scrap of paper that read "Tom" and "Woman's Clinic" with phone numbers scrawled next to both entries.

"Did you sleep with my husband, Detective?" Janice has returned from the kitchen, two cups of coffee and awkward question in tow.

"You can call me Audrey," she responded, grateful that the coffee appeared to have no traces of cream or sugar, "and no, I didn't."

A thoughtful murmur escaped Janice's lips, and she joined Audrey on the couch, "You should've. He deserved it. After the way I acted, I hope he got off with someone else before he…" Janice stifled back a sob that was welling up in her throat and let he sentence just trail off.

"Personally, I'm not really one for revenge sex. Anymore." Audrey smiled, hoping to lighten the mood at least a little, and to her relief Janice's blank expression brightened slightly. "I didn't come here to deliver any bad news, Mrs. Parkman."

"Janice," her eyes traveled up and locked with Audrey. "Why did you come here?"

Audrey rested her coffee on the end table, right next to the photo of Matt, and gave a small shrug. "I don't really know. I liked your husband, Janice, and I know how the local police act in missing person cases. I thought someone should come by, and at least… I don't really know why I came here. I just thought that somebody should."

"Can I ask you something, Audrey?"

Audrey smiled, "You've already asked me some pretty interesting questions; I think I can handle another."

Janice's eyes wandered to the photograph behind Audrey, "Do you think Matt's dead?"

It was a question Audrey had heard many times, and as a cop she had learned the best answers to give. Cold, impersonal responses that were meant to reassure people that had no hope. But that didn't seem right this time. Not with this woman. Unsure of how to respond, Audrey finally heard herself answering, her mouth forming the words seemingly independent of her brain. In a hushed tone she heard, "Yes. I do."

Tears splashed in the cup of coffee in Janice's trembling hands, "So do I."

Unable to hold herself together any longer, Janice collapsed into sobs, her coffee mug falling to the ground and shattering, ignored by the two women on the couch. Audrey instinctively reached out and wrapped her arms around Janice's shaking body. Social graces were not among Audrey strong points, but she was grateful to see that she at least had some idea of how to comfort. Her hand's hand themselves through Janice's hair as if by their own accord, and she found herself whispering soothing words in the other woman's ear without having to think about what to say at.

And when their mouth met it didn't seem out of place in the slightest. Just another method to calm a grieving friend was all Audrey was doing as her lips firmly pressed against Janice's. The gentle moan that came from one of their mouths was simply the natural response to a consoling gesture.

The kiss only lasted a few seconds, and as the sobs coming from Janice ceased, she gently pulled away with a small smile still on her lips. Audrey's reaction was a little more extreme as she jumped to her feet, and with a few murmurs of "I'm sorry," she was out the front door.

_Damnit, Audrey_, her thoughts berated her for her actions as she raced back to her car. _You came here to comfort a friend's wife, not to… What the hell were you thinking?_ Audrey suddenly stopped and turned around to take another look at the house she had just left. _She was smiling. A small smile, but a smile. And she wasn't crying anymore. _She remained standing in the driveway, halfway between her house and the woman who had given her coffee and kissed her back, and the convenient exit of her parked car. Hesitant to move, and unsure of what she was going to do, Audrey stopped regretting her actions. She had come here to offer some sort of comfort to Matt's wife, and she was fairly sure she had done just that.


End file.
